Thursday, March 12, 2015

Weather

Nothing seems to fuel Rochester's inferiority complex more than the weather. In fact, the weather is used as an explanation for almost everything, including things that don't exist such as economic decline and population loss. Even if these nonexistent factors did exist, the link to weather is at best questionable and probably just plain false. What follows is the standard weather commentary followed by some clarifications:

Standard Commentary: It snows a lot.Clarification: Yes, that is correct. But the 99.5 inches of yearly snowfall are spread out over 65.9 snowfall events. Each snowfall event therefore averages a measly 1.5 inches. In fact, snowfall events of 10 or more inches occur 0.6 times per year (that's less than once a year.)

Standard Commentary: It is cold.Clarification: Yes, at times it can be a bit chilly. But some great cities are even colder. As of last year, the average December - February temperature in Rochester was 27 degrees. America's 3rd largest city, Chicago, sits at 26.4 degrees. Everyone's favorite college town, Madison, WI, finds itself at 21.6 degrees. And hipster haven Minneapolis comes in at 18.7 degrees.

Standard Commentary: It is cloudyClarification: Yes, the clouds occasionally block our view of the sun. But some great cities have even more cloud viewing pleasure. 62% of days in Seattle have at least 3/4 cloud cover, edging out Portland, OR which comes in at 61%. Both metro areas have been among the fastest growing in the country. Rochester has to be content at only 55%, perhaps explaining its slower population growth.

2 comments:

I love your commentary! This is a great way to put everything into perspective. Creating a better "aura" for the city has to start within the community. Getting to know and understand these facts should help one think before getting negative.

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About Me

In 2010, my wife and I moved to Rochester, NY. This move was not prompted by necessity, family, or another involuntary factor. We were community physicians, and we could have taken our trades essentially anywhere. Between the two of us, we had lived in New York City, Boston, and Washington D.C. We knew a total of zero people in Rochester. Why then would we leave the BosWash corridor for a much maligned city on the fringes of the Rust Belt and in the heart of the Snowbelt?
Because our research had revealed a surprising phenomenon. We had not discovered the dying industrial region that is portrayed by popular perception. To the contrary, we had uncovered a progressive history, artistic excellence, remarkable ingenuity, elite (suburban) public education, and economic determination. How, we asked ourselves, could such an enriching region have such a marginal reputation? We have since termed this discrepancy as the Rochester Phenomenon. While the Rochester Phenomenon has a certain charm, the future of this region depends in part on bridging the gap between perception and reality. It is hoped that this blog can contribute to this process, if even in a miniscule way.